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Monthly Archives: November 2015

We understand flexibility to use your money when you want to is important. Because we’re committed to you and our online and mobile services, we will be rolling out the following enhancements on November 25:

Extended hours for Online and Mobile Banking transfers. You now can transfer between your accounts until 10 p.m. CT and have same-day credit on business days we are open.

Deposit checks through the Mobile Apps until 8 p.m. CT. Depositing checks through the apps just got easier. If your deposit is received by 8 p.m. and there are no questions, you’ll receive same-day credit on business days we are open. Don’t see the “deposit” icon in your app? Email customercare@firstintlbank.com and ask to have it turned on.

It seems every time you turn around there is a new technology available. There’s your phone, your computer, and now your debit and credit cards! Debit and Credit Cards are coming out with smart chips built into the card. These chip cards are also known as EMV, Smart, or Chip Cards. While this technology is not mandatory and may not be utilized by some banks, First International Bank & Trust feels it is an important layer of security for our customers.

Chip cards make in-store transactions more secure when you pay at chip-enabled terminals. This helps to protect the information on the card when fraudsters breach merchants, which is happening all too frequently these days.

These cards are already in use in much of the world. This is a security standard originally developed by Europay, MasterCard and Visa (EMV) as a way to fight card fraud resulting from theft, skimming and counterfeiting. The EMV technology has been adopted by the other major card brands and issuers.

For our international travelers this is great news! Many other countries have already converted to EMV chip card technology. Be aware that, though many of these countries require Chip Cards, you may have to use your PIN to complete the purchase and may not be given the option to sign to complete the transaction. If you have forgotten your PIN or would simply like to change it before leaving the country, please get in touch with your local branch.

Instead of swiping your chip card, you will “dip” the card into the merchant’s payment terminal. The card will need to be left in the terminal while the transaction is processed. The terminal will give you prompts to complete your transaction. When the transaction is complete the terminal should remind you to remove your card.

Chips cards can be used virtually anywhere a particular brand of card is accepted in the U.S. and around the world. Chip cards will work in both chip-enabled and swipe terminals. If a cardholder tries to swipe a chip card in a chip-enabled terminal, they will be prompted to insert the card to complete the transaction. Not all merchants will have chip-enabled terminals. Fuel pumps, for example, will likely continue to use the magnetic stripe for the next couple of years. If a terminal is not chip-enabled, a chip card can still be swiped to read the magnetic stripe on the back to complete the transaction.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a chip card look like? Many features of a chip card are the same as a magnetic stripe card. The key difference is the gold or silver-colored embedded chip on the front left side of the card. A chip card also has a magnetic stripe on the back of the card.

Diana Wagner

Eileen Donner

First International Bank & Trust looks forward to opening its doors in Rugby, ND. Our entrance into Rugby makes perfect sense when you look at our locations across North Dakota. The centrally located Rugby branch won’t just round out our central market, it’s also a great match to our demographic and customer base which we greatly enjoy working with.

Photo courtesy of Christine Schmaltz Photography.

While we plan to open our temporary branch in mid-November (November 16 is the tentatively planned open date for the temporary location), we are starting to interview architects for the permanent location.

In looking at our bank buildings across the state, we try our best to build locations that are not only attractive, but that fit seamlessly into the community; the permanent Rugby location will be no different. While we’re still exploring our options for the building, it’s always a possibility that the permanent location will offer other services beyond banking.

Photograph courtesy of Christine Schmaltz Photography.

The bottom line is that we purchased a landmark location and want to make the town and surrounding area proud of the corner on Highway 2. When First International Bank & Trust enters a new community, it’s more than just setting up shop for us. We want to be partners with the community and will accomplish this by working with as many local contractors as possible in constructing the new facility. Additionally, we’re excited to announce that our building will feature artwork from local photographer, Christine Schmaltz.

In the meantime, we look forward to opening our temporary location and have a great team of employees on-board to serve Rugby and the surrounding area. We couldn’t be more excited to announce that Tanner Johnson will serve as President of our Rugby branch. We welcome Tanner and the Rugby team members to First International Bank & Trust and can’t wait to see the great things they will accomplish.

First International Bank & Trust is your one-stop-shop, full service financial institution offering a variety of products and services ranging from traditional bank services to crop insurance, mineral & land services and mortgage services. We look forward to serving the Rugby area in true community banking fashion as we have been doing for more than 100 years.